MEMO: Overcome Mr. Stress by Walking and Meditation

Submitted by admin on Mon, 02/25/2013 - 11:43

“Learning to walk again, I believe I’ve waited long enough, where do I begin?”

-WALK, Foo Fighters

RECALLING THE MUSIC VIDEO of the Foo Fighters’ hit “Walk”, Dave Grohl impatiently left his car in traffic and walked instead to reach his destination. He may have been visited by Mr. Stress over and over again. And this may have been the case with the majority of students, as well as many of the staff, faculty and administrative officials. Certain authors teach us how to overcome stress in the cheapest and simplest ways.

If you are cramming over a research work, a requirement, a script, demo teaching or even a report to your boss, you’d better take the phrase, “Keep Calm and Meditate”(No one told you to cram in the first place). But according to studies, meditation has been popularized as a stress management technique. It eeven makes one present-minded. Because sometimes, the more you get worried about a deadline, the more you become 'lutang'. So relax. Meditation leads to mindfulness. The book The Rice Diet Solution defines it as a quiet time in which the body is calmed and the mind is cleared. Indeed, it is a quieting of the mind.

There are certain chances to meditate and breathe consciously. While waiting for the shuttle bus, falling in line at the canteen, travelling, and most effectively, during devotional prayer. Dr. Paul Meier of New Life Clinics suggests a meditation plan wherein one should look for a peaceful and comfortable place. One must be in a comfortable position (except lying down for you might fall asleep.) Relax your mind and stop thinking about your problems for a moment. This helps you develop an improved way of thinking of solutions after meditating. And again, pray.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Of all exercises, walking is the best”. I personally admit that I, too, find it the most convenient--walking from the campus to the Central Temple, from 1st to 4th floor during classes, from place to place to do simple tasks like photocopying report or availing printing services. Walking is a form of exercise. Statistically, a 2 to 3 mph walk usually burns 82 calories/mile. It is recommended that we do a total of 5-7 hours of walking a week. For cardiovascular exercise, 30-40 mins. walk a day is ideal.

We have a memo which states that despite being bombarded with academic and non-academic tasks, deadlines and schedules, we must stay healthy in all aspects. So let us take care of our mind and body. The most important advice is to always pray because it is God who ultimately owns our lives.

As a final note, let me quote Thich Nhat Hanh who says, “The real miracle is not to walk on water or in the air, the real miracle is walking on the earth.”